The Dublin Session 2013 : the program

After a pleasing rural interlude in Kalmar, Sweden in June 2013, the Cumulus Digital Culture Working Group is back to the regular format for the Cumulus conference in Dublin, Ireland (nov. 7-9 2013), entitled “More for less – design for austerity”.

Once again, the main point is to connect the session to the local reality in the field of Digital Culture. This session has been curated by our good friend Brenda Duggan at Dublin Institute of Technology and will take on Saturday the 9th of November 2013 10:30 am – 1:00 pm at the National College of Art and Design.

Technologies are inextricably linked with how we think, with Henry Jenkins stating that if interactivity is a property of technology; participation is a property of culture – Jenkins, H. (2009). Confronting the challenges of Participatory Culture, within an environment where audiences want to participate and be active contributors with communication and content, this workshop will address opportunities and challenges this presents in an industry and academic setting. How are digital media technologies being used to achieve more qualitative and meaningful communication? What happens when we design for participation and openness?
The workshop will present contributions from expert practitioners in industry and education – addressing digital media strategies being used for more meaningful communication with their respective stakeholders – customers, clients, students and teaching professionals.

1. Participatory Culture in Art and Design Practice – an open space for community involvement.

This presentation questions – how are we equipping future practitioners in using participatory design that builds scaffolds where ordinary people feel comfortable engaging in cultural and community practice?
A case study will be presented of student work, in which they were asked to engage with the meaning making potential of the situational and social aspects, for two different contexts, one based in Dublin City and the other, a small town in the west of Ireland.
Brenda Duggan, Dublin Institute of Technology.

2. Reaching Out to an Audience – an insightful perspective from Irish industry.

How are digital media communication strategies evolving for connecting, linking and participation in more meaningful ways with clients and customers in industry?
An expert presentation from an Irish perspective will highlight digital media strategies for a participatory culture, questioning implications for education in art and design.
Martin Casey MD at ‘Arekibo Digital’

3. A Digital Learning Experience – student participation supported through the use of a specifically designed iBook application.

This presentation will discuss a digital learning project and its impact on learning processes in third level design education.
An interactive iBook application, compiled by Neville Knott, is used in a studio setting to ascertain the benefit of digital learning for design students. The discussion will centre on feedback from this initial pilot study, examining the opportunities for enhanced creative, theoretical, and practical learning on this and other design orientated courses and disciplines.
Kerry Meakin & Neville Knott, Dublin Institute of Technology.
The three presentations will serve as a starting point to a conversation among the participants on questions for qualitative uses of digital media strategies in art and design practices for a participatory culture.